


Whose Idea Was it to Use Flowers, Anyways?

by nicoleiacross



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, RIORDAN Rick - Works, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Developing Relationship, Divergent Timelines, Gen, Happy Nico, Jason is a Dork, M/M, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 19:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7282231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicoleiacross/pseuds/nicoleiacross
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico thought it was a prank. Honestly, he thought his stepmother was just doing this to freak him out. Now he's not really sure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whose Idea Was it to Use Flowers, Anyways?

**Author's Note:**

> I am weak and I am not sorry.

**i. Amethyst - _admiration_**

It starts with vines and rows of purple flowers.

For personal (and, he feels, obvious) reasons, Nico has been extremely wary of flowers for the past few years. Ignoring that he tends to kill all plant life within a growing radius whenever he gets upset, his stepmother seems to be a good reason not to like flowers. But, when he walks out of his cabin one morning and finds the star-shaped flowers framing his door and the base of the cabin... he almost burns all of them. This clearly has to be Persephone's doing... at least, he was pretty sure of that, until a small group from the Aphrodite cabin walked by and actually smiled at the flowers. One of them was struggling to hide a smile behind his hand, like it was some big secret the entire camp was in on. He feels... apprehensive, at best; but, the flowers haven't attacked him yet and no one seems distressed, so he assumes they aren't poisonous. To make sure they aren't dormant he tests them in the most obvious and surefire way: he pokes a few of them, just to make sure they don't suddenly wrap around him or explode or release noxious fumes. (He considers this completely necessary given some of the "light punishments" Persephone's handed out during their "small spats" in the past.)

The flowers give in to the pressure when provoked, being pressed into the door frame and the ground, and easily bounce back into place when Nico stops antagonising them. So... not dangerous. As a plus, they don't wither from any of the poking or when he plucks one—a larger star that hangs above the center of his doorframe—and carries it off to the pavilion with him, still studying it.

Habitually, he falls into an open spot at the Apollo table, and doesn't even realise the Apollo kids are already there until one of them flicks a breadcrumb towards his face to finally get his attention. When he looks up, Will looks amused. So does Austin. So does Kayla. Nico scowls and immediately shoots Will an accusatory look; the blonde puts his hands up in his own defence, "Wasn't me. Dad's the only one that can do plant-magic. ... And, maybe some of my siblings that use them in medicinal ointments. Never thought to ask. Not me, though."

Kayla and Austin echo him, simultaneously, and Nico just looks even more suspicious, "But you know who it was."

"I have a theory, sure."

"So tell me."

"It's not an ill-omen, you know." Kayla twirls her fork between her fingers and Nico resists the urge to throw something at it.

" _Everything_ that happens to a child of the Underworld is a bad omen."

"Only on the battlefield. You should hold onto the flower. You'll figure it out, while _we_... go do some deductions of our own."

Nico really doesn't like when Apollo cabin gets involved in his personal affairs. He's grateful for their acceptance and help and Will's really good at listening to him and sometimes... despite how much he really hates physical contact, Nico admits he needs a hug. And Will is always willing to give him a hug. It's probably the healthiest relationship he's had with anyone since Bianca died and he's said as much to Will, multiple times. Will usually just waves him off with a bright smile and reassurance that "the world isn't so scary for demigods, when they have people to relate to" and... ok, Nico thought it was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard the first time. But, now he believes it.

Before he can ask for input on the weird flowers infesting his cabin, the Apollo kids are all filing out, with Will standing and shouldering his bow last. He sends Nico a smile—a smidge apologetic for running off so quickly, but there's still amusement sparkling in his eyes—and waves, "Morning practice is in the archery field. See you there?"

Nico snorts, "You know I'm terrible at archery. I'll _watch_ ; but, I'm never touching a bow again."

Will just laughs and hurries after his siblings.

It's only after the Apollo Cabin's left that Nico realises the pavilion is more crowded than normal. Specifically, there are a lot of people sitting at table one. Surprised, he heads over, cautiously, just in case he isn't welcome.

For the first time in a long time, Percy notices him first. He grins and waves Nico over, " _There_ you are! Come on! Big cause for celebration! Did you eat yet?"

"He _just_ got here as Will's cabin left, of course he hasn't." Thalia rolls her eyes and makes a passing, waving gesture towards the seat across from her, "Please, join us?"

The seat is next to her brother and Nico can only wonder why Jason hasn't greeted him yet. It's... weird, really. Jason's just as apprehensive of him as the rest of both camps; but, normally he's making an active effort to make Nico feel included, even when it means everyone's staring because the star of the camp is talking to... well. Nico. It's more disheartening than weird; but, Nico still nods and lets himself fall into the seat by Jason. He waits until the nymphs finish bringing him food and thanks them before turning his attention back to Percy, curiously, "Celebrating because...?"

Thalia being there is usually a reason to celebrate, sure... but, he also kind of doubts that would be reason enough for Percy to be this excited. Honestly, the way he's completely unable to sit still would normally be something Nico attributed to demigod ADHD but this is definitely different. And he isn't getting answers. In a desperate attempt he tries looking to Jason for answers, "Jason—?"

The question trails off when the blonde actually jumps and quickly puts a small bit of distance between them. Percy's finally sitting still and Thalia shoots her brother a glare. Jason tries for a nervous smile, "Sorry. Rough trip. Uh... what are we talking abo—OW. _Thalia_!"

Nico jumps this time when Jason yelps and throws Thalia a confused look. The Hunter idly blows a streak of blue hair out of her eyes and grins at Nico, "Well. He isn't wrong. It was a long trip from Jupiter."

"... Long bad or long annoying? What are you even doing here, Jason? I thought your Jupiter trip wasn't over until next month?"

"It's not," Percy confirms. He's still sitting still but at least he's finally stopped giving Jason looks (looks that Nico really can't explain. Normally those two get along pretty well, despite their competitive natures; but, he can't really call the look a glare... it wasn't friendly, either, though. Everyone's acting weird today.), "Well. It wasn't. He came back East Coast for a reason. Kind of."

Thalia and Percy both give Jason pointed looks, so Nico ends up looking back to him, too. Jason squirms for a few seconds before he finally sighs and gives in, "Since... well. I'm not Praetor anymore, obviously. You know I've been working on the project Percy started?"

"Making sure all of the gods get recognition, including the lesser known ones." Nico's heard about the encounter with Kymopoleia in passing and is pleased when he gets a nod, " _Pontifex_... something. The title Octavian tried to claim. How's that going, by the way?"

"Great, actually! Or... it... was." Jason scowls; it's weird, but at least he's calmed down enough that he isn't jumping every time Nico talks.

"Was?"

"The Praetors decided he needed a break," Thalia finally takes the pressure off her brother and Nico's attention turns back to her. She looks amused, "Reyna asked Hylla to get in touch with me and asked that I take him somewhere to relax. He's been working non-stop between the _Argo II_ reunions—between trying to be normal at school and his work as _Pontifex Maximus_. Reyna and Frank were worried about him burning out, so here he is."

Nico glances over again and finally notes that Jason _does_ look more than a little exhausted. There's dark bags under his eyes and he keeps moving his glasses to rub at them like he's trying to stay awake. He hasn't cropped his hair back to Roman standard yet and Nico's honestly a little surprised that no one at Jupiter's said anything yet. Even his complexion is looking just that small bit sickly that Nico would normally attribute to being indoors too long... and that's never something he'd consider Jason doing. He's even more confused now, "Shouldn't he be resting then? And _how_ is this cause for celebration, if he's working himself enough that _Reyna_ is sending him here?"

"Technically, my sister dragged me here, against my will." Jason sends his sister a scowl to accentuate his point and she just shrugs.

"Reyna gave me full reign to do whatever was necessary and—by the way—she _absolutely_ agreed that this was the best place to relax. As to celebrating... what's the date?"

"June— _oh_. Are you staying through your birthday?"

Normally, birthdays don't mean much to Nico. He knows Percy's, because he will _never_ forget the shock of seeing a blue cake... and he still hasn't figured out why _everything Percy eats is blue_. (Ok, not everything, but it's always enough to throw Nico for a loop when there is suddenly blue food that shouldn't be blue.) He remembers his sister's birthday—or... rather, he bothered his father until Hades finally told him when Bianca's birthday was—and pays a small tribute to her, every year, by burning offerings to their father and wishing her luck. He still isn't sure if she's been reborn yet and has to constantly remind himself it's better for him not to know who she has or will be reborn as. As for his and Hazel's birthdays... well. Hazel kept her old birthday. Nico still isn't sure about his birthday. With Bianca gone, he never really had anyone to celebrate with and he'd been in the Underworld when his father gave him Jules-Albert, so he had no idea what the date was. Just that it was well after the Titan War. His step-mother hadn't been there, so maybe a spring birthday? ... Then again, Persephone only showed up around Nico when his father wasn't there to monitor them bickering.

He shakes the thoughts off and is more than a little pleased that Jason gives a small nod with a half-smile, "Yeah. It's still a few weeks away and the _Argo II_ reunion for July is here in Camp Half-Blood, so I'll be staying through the reunion and a bit after, too. My sister and Reyna—and Frank and Hazel and basically _everyone_ at Camp Jupiter, if you were wondering—have explicitly forbidden me from working on any of my projects until after the _Argo II_ reunion."

"That's not a terrible idea."

"You're supposed to be on my side, you know."

Something warm settles in Nico's chest and he can't resist the urge to grin. This is the Jason he's used to. Easy banter and a noticeably more amicable air between them, compared to other people Nico tries to hang around. Still, he shrugs, "I am. I just happen to agree with everyone else right now. If it helps, once your vacation is up, I'll help you with the Half-Blood projects while you're here and make sure none of the Hephaestus or Hermes kids get... too involved in the construction."

They all get a small laugh out of that, even Jason (despite his initial scowl) and things finally feel just a little bit normal. Enough that Nico doesn't feel like he's intruding, at any rate. Percy's filling Thalia in on what she missed during Jason's last visit—specifically, what happened when Harley decided he wanted to help with the blueprints to one of the newer tributes—when Jason finally notices the flower by Nico's hand. They had been catching up—mostly it was Jason assuring him that Hazel was fine—when he just stopped talking and stared at a spot by Nico's hand. Confused, Nico followed the glance and finally remembered the stupid flower. He feels a small flush of embarrassment and tries to shrug it off, "My cabin was overrun this morning. I pulled this one down to see if I could figure out what it was and... Kayla told me I should hold onto it." Honestly, that's about the only reason Nico hasn't tossed the flower yet. Kayla usually gives him pretty sound advice. For some reason, Jason seems more freaked out by the flower than Nico had been and just gives a slow nod and eventually manages a tiny half-smile.

"I see. So you don't know what it is, then?"

"Not really. I mean, I've seen them in my stepmom's garden before, but... I try to stay away from that. For obvious reasons."

"Persephone doesn't like you in her garden?"

"She turned him into a dandelion." Thalia puts in, nonchalantly, and ignores when Nico attempts to protest her bringing the incident up. She glances at the flower and hums a little, "It's an Amethyst, by the way."

Nico just gives her a quirked look. He wants to ask why Thalia even knows that (because as far as he knew, she's not too partial to plant-life either, after being a tree for six years); but, at that exact moment, Jason stands and hastily declares he's joining the Apollo cabin for archery. Nico finally remembers he said he'd show up to at least watch and excuses himself to follow. Percy's close at his heel after exchanging quick goodbyes with Thalia. When they reach the field, Jason's already mingling with the other campers and Percy finally turns to him, idly tossing something to him, "You left this at the table. Now, if you'll excuse me, Jason and I need to find out who's actually better at archery."

Nico spends a few seconds looking the Amethyst over, still confused by it, before the words sink in and he looks after Percy's retreating back, "Don't you kind of really suck at archery though?"

"So does he! It'll be fine!"

Nico just rolls his eyes and goes to find somewhere to watch from a safe distance.

**ii. Mountain Pinks – _aspiring_**

The next morning, the walls of his cabin look like a pastel fountain of flora.

His eye gives a violent twitch and he has to take a deep breath to keep from just putting his hand against the obsidian and killing all of it.

"Hey, Nico, where have— _holy gods, what happened to your cabin_?"

Nico turns, sharply, ready to snap at the person; when he sees Jason, however, the hostility immediately washes away and he brings one hand up to his face to hide his embarrassment, "Trust me, if I knew... it _was_ just the Amethysts, I swear." He gestures to the stars still framing his door and the ground, "The walls are new. I seriously think my stepmother is doing this." He scowls back at his cabin, trying to find a good place to start ripping the flora down, "I don't even know what those are."

"Did you try asking anyone at Demeter Cabin?" He knows Jason's trying to be helpful, but he still sends him a dark glower. The blonde takes a few cautionary steps away, "Just saying.  Demeter's usually pretty chill around you, right?"

"She acts like I'm not there. But, yeah, I guess she's ok. She probably just pretends I don't exist. Help me pull this down—wait, what are you even doing here this early?"

Jason finally stops staring at the walls to give him a confused look, "Early? It's past eight—oh. Right, you're not a morning person, are you?"

"Shut up."

His response is a grin and a laugh, "Sorry. If it makes you feel better, Hazel's not much of a morning person, either. Underworld thing?"

"Maybe. Anyways, I asked you a question."

"I get up at five-thirty? I went for a run and I didn't see you at breakfast so I came looking." Jason shrugs, "Will said you probably weren't up yet. Aren't there rules about sleeping in?"

Nico just shrugs at that. He knows there's a time that campers are expected to be up; but, as far as he can tell, Chiron just lets him do as he pleases. Most of the other campers won't come within five feet of his cabin and no one is ever really sure when he's even at camp. Sometimes he goes to the Underworld, sometimes he goes to Camp Jupiter with little to no warning, and... sometimes, he just hides in his cabin and lets everyone think he's not at camp. Will, Percy, and Annabeth are the only ones that seem to notice. Piper notices, whenever she's at camp. Frank and Hazel notice when they're visiting. He has a creeping suspicion that Chiron knows exactly when he leaves and returns, but the centaur hasn't ever really addressed his disappearances, just like he never says anything about Nico being late to breakfast or sitting out of campfire sing-a-long time in favour of setting up marshmallows. He eventually realises that shrugging isn't really an answer and sighs a little, "Probably? No one ever really says anything though. Great Prophecy Wars aside, most people don't really like me being around. It's... better, I guess, this time. After Manhattan, it was horrible. Having Will and Percy vouch for me this time has helped a lot. I'm pretty sure everyone else just thinks I come and go from the Underworld, since no one comes by the cabin."

He's kind of expecting Jason to just let it go... instead, the blonde is frowning, like he can't really process what he was told, "No one visits you? At all?"

"Aside from you? Not really. Will's head counselor for Apollo, so he's usually keeping his siblings in line. They aren't trouble makers, but there's some bad blood between them and Ares cabin, so he has to be around just in case they start anything. ... Not that he ever sits out or tries too hard to stop them once it starts, but." He shrugs again. There's nothing anyone can do, really, when Ares cabin gets into it with another cabin. "Percy's only here during the summer and he's usually busy. He'll check on me if he knows I'm here, but it's usually just to relay a message or tell me to go socialise. So... yeah, no, you're the only person, aside from Hazel, who's ever really been this close for more than a few minutes. Well. Frank visited, too; but, he was mostly visiting for Hazel."

It's never really bothered Nico... but, the fact that Jason looks personally offended does make him feel a little better. He gestures back over his shoulder, tentatively, "You can look inside if you want. It's not much, but... if you want. I promise, it doesn't bite or anything. The flowers don't seem to be more than a prank."

"Prank?"

"They haven't exploded yet, so I consider this safe if it _is_ my stepmother's idea of a joke."

Jason gives a slow nod, but he's still inching towards the door like he's genuinely curious. After a few more minutes of looking at the pastel and purple decorations outside the cabin, he finally cracks the door just enough to peek in and quickly steps back, throwing Nico a startled look, "You sleep in a _coffin_?"

"Camp joke. I never got around to changing them and they're pretty comfortable." Nico shrugs, looking sheepish, "I was really mad when I came back after the cabin was built and they were there but... I've gotten used to them.  It makes it feel a little less lonely, honestly. I've seen Cabin Three—Percy's cabin, I mean. Having just one person in there, two when Tyson's around, just... looks so empty. With the coffins, I can't see the empty bed so it's pretty easy to imagine having other people around. I imagine yours is probably the same."

"Y-yeah... kind of. Thalia left some pictures in a corner... but, yeah, you're right. I never really think about it, because I'm usually too busy freaking out over the giant statue in the middle of the cabin... but, yeah. Lonely's a good word. Could I...?" He gestures towards the door like he wants to go in and Nico nods, giving the door a push to open it all the way.

His cabin is still remarkably bare, all things considered. Even though he's been staying more often, he never really knows what to put up. Athena's cabin and Hephaestus' cabin look like work rooms—diagrams and workbenches and designs lying all over the place. Apollo's cabin... it's not so much the interior sticks out, so much as it makes Nico forget he's worried about things. It feels safe. There's always music and Will's admitted that some of the other kids practice various types of healing for the soul—specifically, a few went through Feng Shui phases and rearranged and redecorated the cabin accordingly. As much as Nico likes it, it also makes him feel out of place and even more lonely whenever he leaves. He shakes the thoughts away; point was, he never knew what to put up because there wasn't really anything aspiring about being a child of the Underworld. Hazel, at least, had a few shiny decorations in her corner—gems and jewels that Piper helped her pick out—to make it different from the other coffins. It's a reassuring site for Nico, even if it does remind him his sister is on the other side of the country. His coffin and the others, though... not much. He keeps thinking he's forgetting something, though... something he can't put his finger on, even though he knows he should probably warn Jason or at least try to hide it—

"Uh... what are those?"

Nico follows where Jason's pointing and freezes for a brief moment before he darts over to hide the binder and small figurines in question, " _Nothing_."

 _That's_ what he forgot, he is never going to live this down—he slaps Jason's wrist, a little more forcefully than he means to, when he reaches for one of the figurines, " _Don't even_."

He might feel a little bad when the blonde yelps; Jason just gives him an accusing pout and rubs his wrist, "I just want to know what it is. It's obviously not 'nothing', so...?"

His cheeks are burning with embarrassment and he's never been so grateful for the poor lighting in his cabin. (Ok, so the lighting was totally his idea and it looks _amazing_... but he's kind of gotten so used to it that he forgets how cool it is sometimes. Right now, it's a blessing.) Jason's still waiting for an answer though and he just shuffles in place, refusing to provide even a dismissal of the topic. A few seconds of silence and Jason finally snaps like he's figured it out.

"Oh! That... thing you were talking about with Frank! Uh... what was it... _Mythomagic_ , right? You two started talking about it after Venice and we started doing the reunions. Hazel said Frank's started collecting the cards again, so are those—?"

Nico really wants to just sink into the shadows at this point. He tries, regularly, to make a point about not being interested in these things anymore (specifically calling it a 'kids game' or something he did when he was younger)... but, after he'd destroyed or gotten rid of most of his cards and figures, he regretted it. Just a little. (Ok, a lot, those took a lot of time to collect.) The only one he even admits to still having around people was the one his sister had gotten him—the Hades figure. He's still not sure where all his old cards and figures came from. He'd come back to his cabin one day and _poof_. There they were, harmlessly resting on the coffin a few feet away from his own, figures all still in pristine packaging and cards all stored away in protective sleeves within binders. And now, he can't even deny what it is, so he gives a stiff, short nod, "Yeah...."

"Wait. All three of those binders are...?"

"Cards, yeah. They're sorted by type. Monsters takes up two of the binders and the gods are in the other one."

"That's awesome!" Nico startles and, even in the dim light, he can tell Jason looks genuinely excited, "No one at Jupiter is too big on sharing their cards or even explaining how to play. Can I see?"

"Uh... sure...?" Nico finally moves so that Jason can get around him to the binder, "Oh, uh... the lighting's a little better over by my bed." He gestures back to the coffin, where there's more light, "or the alter, but...." He makes a pointed gesture towards the shrine of bones and jewels, "Hazel says the jewels are probably cursed and the alter creeps her out."

Jason isn't listening to him. He's more than a little preoccupied pouring over the sleeves of cards, muttering to himself as he goes through it. Nico inches around him to peek over his arm and quirks a brow when he sees the rows of monsters, "I am honestly a little surprised you started with the monsters."

"We know the gods on a very personal level." Jason mumbles, like he isn't fond of the idea (Nico doesn't really blame him, either), "But _this_. No wonder it's popular at Jupiter. I'm surprised it isn't here." He takes Nico's silence for confusion (accurate, because Nico's not sure what he's getting at), "You all have to take basic combat classes, right?"

"Obviously, otherwise most of us would probably be dead."

"Right? But the combat classes also have monster studies, not just fighting. We should be using these in class instead of the mounds of books they shove at us!"

Nico just stares at him, "What?"

"How many demigods do you know that have _actually_ read all the "required" text for monster studies?"

"Annabeth and Reyna? Uh... Piper knew a lot of it before she got here.... You and Frank, maybe?" Nico frowns, even when Jason snorts and assures him he's read maybe _half_ of the "required" reading. It's not that unheard of, really. He'll admit that it pays to know the lore of their godly heritage, but most of the kids could barely get through mortal required— _oh_. "Wait. You want to use the cards because... that's not... actually, that's kind of brilliant but...." He struggles for a reason this is a bad idea. He wants to say that Chiron would _never_ agree... but, the centaur is usually pretty open to ideas about how classes and any activity should be run. At least, he lets the campers run themselves and only intervenes as necessary. Dionysus probably wouldn't have any qualms about it, either... other than the fact that Nico's pretty sure he told Dionysus that his card was weak. (It's still a cool card, though, and Nico refuses to let anyone tell him otherwise.)

Jason grins at him, "Hey. Demigods are all ADHD anyways, right? You want them to learn, give them something stimulating. Jupiter is more battle oriented and you've seen the number of live monsters we have, so I guess it makes sense for it to be popular there. Make it a competition here and you could probably get a majority of the camp to actually _learn_ all the monster lore they need to know."

"That'd take... time." Nico mulls over what he wants to say. Mostly, he doesn't want his hopes up that he'll have someone to play with after so long. Does he even still remember how to play? He should test this next time he's at Camp Jupiter. "Decks take a while to build and a lot of the older cards are getting harder to find as new ones come out. There was a major influx of new cards after the... war with Gaea...." He frowns as the thought finally crosses his mind and everything makes sense, "It's probably owned by a demigod that made it to adulthood. I mean. No other way they could have all those stats and information, right?"

"So we could probably ask Chiron or Mr. D to call in favours to get us cards?" Jason looks hopeful and Nico finds himself smiling without really thinking about it.

"Worth a try, I guess. We can talk to him later. I need to eat something, now that I'm not embarrassed beyond all belief."

Even though Nico make a gesture in the general direction of the dining pavilion, Jason doesn't look ready to put the binder down and looks disappointed. Nico just quirks a brow at him, "You can look at them after breakfast? You said you went on a run; you probably need food more than me and you aren't taking my cards to the pavilion. Not where all the Hermes kids can see them."

"Oh... good point." Jason's shoulders slump a little, "I was just... could you... maybe... show me how to play?" Nico must be staring because as soon as Jason glances up for brief eye contact, he hastily looks away and shuffles in his spot, "I never really learned at Jupiter. I saw others playing it, but they were usually with the First and Second Cohorts... Third, Fourth, and Fifth were... well, you know how it was. Underdogs all the way, right? So, I was usually busy with other stuff."

"Being Jupiter's son." Nico offered and Jason nodded a little, miserably. Nico kind of understood... but he also really had no idea. Being an offspring of the big three usually made them a big deal, yeah; but, no one expected Nico to be center stage. Here, it was Percy; at Jupiter, it was Jason. They were the ones on pedestals and, now, Nico kind of felt bad he'd ever been jealous of the attention they got. Half-Blood, at least, was a little more welcoming and "friendly" than Jupiter; Percy was able to mingle, easily, with other demigods for the most part. But, at Jupiter, once you were noticed you were expected to be great. You were expected to excel in combat, in war games, in _leading_. That was just how the legion worked and for a son of Jupiter... that was an even greater expectation.

"After you eat." Jason startled and Nico leveled him with a pointed look before he finally gave a smile, "I'll do something about the lighting so you don't have to squint. Your eyes are already bad, no need to make them worse. But, I'm not teaching you anything until after you get something to eat."

Jason promptly perks up and finally puts the binder down, "You don't have anything else to do?"

"What am I going to do? No one wants to practice swordplay with me, I hate the competitions—and everyone knows I can just shadow-travel to the objective _anyways_... usually. I only participate when Chiron makes me, really. Doubt that'll happen anytime soon after what happened with the last three-legged race." Jason suddenly looks pale and Nico figures Percy probably told him about what happened with Harley's race course. He waves it off, "So, yeah, no."

"... Why doesn't anyone want to practice swordplay with you, though? You're good, shouldn't that make you at least kind of popular for a practice partner?"

Nico shrugs, "If I weren't a son of Hades, probably. But I am, so there's that. Besides, I'm pretty sure most everyone that would be ok practicing with me would much rather gang up on Percy. Not that I'm complaining. Now, come on."

He lets Jason go out first and sends another glare towards the flowers all over the once obsidian cabin. As an afterthought, he plucks four more flowers down—one of each colour of the newest flowers; pink, blue, purple, and white—and goes back into his cabin, just to set them around the Amethyst from the day before. He'll look into them later, if he remembers... or maybe he can convince Jason to go ask Demeter's cabin about them. Satisfied for the moment, he races out of his cabin to catch up with Jason, and is pleasantly surprised that he actually feels excited, looking forward to spending the day around someone instead of alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I Solangelo'd before, but I am 100% weak to Jasico and this has been plaguing me. (The truth is, I am just weak to Nico being happy. Also, polyamourous relationships abound. Just because their godly parents can't polygamy without trying to kill each other doesn't mean the kids can't.)
> 
> I might headcanon Will as asexual-homoromantic. I apologise for nothing. Will is there for hugs and kisses and holding hands and making his dorky boyfriend smile and feel welcome. Jason is also here for making Nico feel welcome. (This is also Percy's objective but the Persico is later. Yes.) I am weak for happiness and supportive relationships. Especially if Nico is involved. Fight me.
> 
> In other news, I spent four hours looking at various references to flower language and my eyes hurt so. Next chapter will be up later. Probably Friday, maybe Saturday, after I get off work and nap. Which I need to be doing now. Laters \o/


End file.
